Residents FAQs

Residents are trainees who have completed four years of medical school and are now working in their chosen specialty to become physicians.

Residents are "real" physicians. They have completed and graduated from medical school.

Though residents are physicians (doctors, MDs or DOs), they are in their specialty training. This is a four-year training program (or residency) after graduation from medical school, and all residents are supervised by an "Attending Physician."

An attending physician has completed his or her residency or specialty training. The attending physician is the physician who oversee the resident physicians. The attending may also be referred to as the teaching physician, since they are the teacher of the resident physician.

The resident physician is your physician. Residents are able to take a full history, examine you or your loved one, order blood tests or other tests such as EKGs or x-rays, write prescriptions, and follow up with you to answer your medical questions.

Residents are always under the supervision of the attending physician, so your care is discussed by the resident with the attending. You get the opinions and expertise of two physicians! Since residents are in training, they often have questions about the care of patients, but this is common with all physicians.

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. There will be times when the resident is able to care for you without you being seen by the attending physician. However, when there are questions, concerns or other issues, the attending physician may also see you. Either way, residents discuss your care with the attending, so there is always oversight of your care by an experienced physician.

If there are questions or if your care is complicated, the attending physician may ask you some clarifying or additional questions. However, residents and attendings always discuss your care, so you will never have to "start over" with the reason you are in the office.

Residents see fewer patients during a day, so a bonus to patients is that they are able to spend more time with you. This is beneficial to patients since you will feel less rushed during your visits. You will have more time to ask questions or discuss your concerns.

Yes, you can always ask to see the attending physician at any point during your visit.

• Overall, patients report great satisfaction and comfort with having resident physicians involved in their care. In fact, studies show that more than 90% of patients were both satisfied and comfortable with resident physicians. More than 95% of patients report a positive experience with resident physicians. It is also common for patients to recommend seeing a resident to their friends and family because of the extra time the resident can spend with them and the excellent and most up-to-date care they receive.
• You get to contribute to the education of the doctors of the future! You are able to teach the resident about your health and any medical problems you may have. This means that you become an important part of the resident physician education.
• You get two opinions for one. Because every aspect of your care is discussed between the resident and the attending physician, you benefit from having two physicians involved in your care.
• Attending physicians enjoy teaching, and you will often hear them teaching the residents involved in your care. This is reassuring to patients. The attending physicians in this practice are members of the faculty of the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM), and the residents are also part of an IUSM Graduate Medical Education Psychiatry Residency Training Program.